That Black Puppy
by CrystalWolf
Summary: [ICMP] What happened to Jacelyn after she was adopted by Thomas & Benjamin, the humans? Story used to be named "Jacelyn". Chapter 11 is now up!
1. Jacelyn

[That Black Puppy]  
  
STORY IS WRITTEN IN BRITISH ENGLISH.  
  
Copyright Characters (in this chapter) That Are Mine   
  
Humans: Thomas, Benjamin, Thomas  
  
Dogs/Wolves: Jacelyn, Dallas, Bandit  
  
A/N: When I say "years/months" I mean HUMAN years. Just thought I'd clarify that.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Chapter One  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Fetch, Jace, fetch!" Thomas said as he whistled out of the corner of his mouth.  
  
"Come on, Tom, she won't fetch, and you know it," Benjamin said. He watched Jacelyn closely. She did not move a muscle, despite Thomas' throwing of the Frisbee in the air. Any dog would do this simple "task", but not Jacelyn. She sat down and stared at Thomas, as though saying, "I'm not fetching that thing!"  
  
"Come on, we should get home," Benjamin patted Thomas on the shoulder.  
  
"Okay," Thomas sighed as he reluctantly headed towards the house down the road. Jacelyn followed closely behind, and so did Benjamin.  
  
  
  
Dallas raised his head as the three marched on in. He greeted his owners with a loud "WOOF!" and padded over to Jacelyn, who nuzzled him. Of course, they were not mates – they never were, or ever would be. They just had a strange bond that tied them together; it was probably the fact that they had been together for quite a while, and that was probably what brought them close to each other.  
  
"How was your walk?" Dallas asked.  
  
"Boring, as usual," Jacelyn sighed.  
  
"Ah, really?"  
  
"Yeah. Why don't you ever go for walks?"  
  
"I go for walks with Benjamin," Dallas said, "When you're not around."  
  
"Oh," Jacelyn replied. It was true that she wasn't home as often anymore. She always went out to play with her friends, like Bandit. Bandit used to be her next-door neighbour, but he moved further with Rosy and her family, to a house a few streets away. Of course, Jacelyn had no idea that Bandit used to be her next-door neighbour until he told her. Jacelyn also played with Oreo, Biscuit, and Janessa. These four dogs had been her playmates for two years, except for Bandit, who had been her playmate for only half a year. Biscuit was a German Shepherd/Husky/Newfoundland mix. He was white, with a little black patch on the right side of his body. His ears were floppy, and his tail hung down neatly. Oreo was a Husky/Alaskan Malamute mix. He looked like a Husky and had white and black markings. His tail was curved down onto his back. Janessa was a purebred German Shepherd.  
  
Dallas lay his head down and took a deep breath. Jacelyn paid close attention, expecting Dallas to say something. However, Dallas just sighed, and closed his eyes. Jacelyn opened her mouth to ask what he had been about to say, but shut it immediately. She waited, but Dallas stayed the way he was – eyes closed, body on mat, snoring away. She sighed, and put her head on her paws, looking at Dallas. She now felt guilty. Old Dallas. That was what some dogs called him. He was much older than Balto, and was wise for his age, and that made him a potential target for name-calling, and things much worse than that, like injuring him, for example. That was one of the reasons Dallas never left the house. As much as he was smart and knew the tricks of fighting, he was not as nimble as he used to be, and depended on others for protection. He had taught Jacelyn some fighting tricks, in case she ever got into a fight, which he doubted she would, but better safe than sorry!  
  
Jacelyn turned away from Dallas and looked out the window. The sun was high in the sky, and it wasn't all that cold out, or at least, not to her. She considered walking out, to take a breath of fresh air, but reconsidered and sat down next to an old antique armchair. Dallas was lying right in front of it. She didn't want to pounce; Dallas was too tired for that, and she would probably make him upset by pouncing on him. So she resisted the urge and lay down, letting her mind and body drift off into a peaceful sleep. The last thing that crossed her mind was a meeting she had to attend later on with the Outcast gang – Bandit, Oreo, Biscuit, Janessa, herself, and a few other dogs.  
  
~*~*~ 


	2. The Outcasts

[That Black Puppy]  
  
STORY IS WRITTEN IN BRITISH ENGLISH.  
  
Copyright Characters (in this story) That Are Mine   
  
Humans: Thomas, Benjamin  
  
Dogs/Wolves: Jacelyn, Dallas, Bandit, Janessa, Oreo, Biscuit, Breeze, Tyrant  
  
A/N: When I say "years/months" I mean HUMAN years. Just thought I'd clarify that.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Chapter Two  
  
~*~*~  
  
Jacelyn felt a soft nudge, growled, and turned over. Then she felt the nudge again, only this time harder. She growled louder this time, but continued to doze off. Then she yelped and jumped up. She rubbed her shoulder with her muzzle. Dallas had bit her to get her to wake up. She wasn't pleased – not one bit. She showed her teeth to Dallas as a sign of frustration and what may await him. Dallas knew he was older than her, and not as fast and sharp as he used to be, and withdrew a little. But then he stepped forward. Jacelyn grumbled to herself.  
  
"Come on, now. You know you don't dare to harm me," Dallas chuckled.  
  
"I could if I wanted to," Jacelyn replied sharply, still mad at the fact Dallas had awoken her.  
  
"Well, the Outcasts wanted to see you," Dallas said. He knew of the Outcasts as he used to be the Advisor (the puppies – who were now dogs - wanted him to be Advisor), but he resigned a while back. The Outcasts had been created when they decided they wanted a club of some sort, but not call it a club. So they thought up of the name "Outcasts" and so they were called that. Many dogs knew of the Outcasts, and some were even their enemies. Of course, the Outcasts evaded fights if they could. They never liked the idea of fighting all that much, but they threatened if need be.  
  
"Oh! Yes! I forgot! There's supposed to be a meeting today!" Jacelyn exclaimed, and thanked Dallas for waking her up. She said "Bye" and left.  
  
  
  
"Hey guys," Jacelyn panted. She had run all the way from her house to their usual meeting spot, and was tired and hot, despite the cold. She sat down and cooled off.  
  
"You're late," Breeze, the leader, narrowed his eyes at Jacelyn. Breeze had a humongous crush on Jacelyn, and everyone knew it – even Jacelyn! She could not deny the fact of Breeze liking her. He had white fur and gorgeous blue eyes that no female could resist – except for Jacelyn, of course. She thought of Breeze as a friend, no more, no less. Other females had told her to go out with him – he had asked her before, but she always politely refused. The other females thought she was so lucky to have him like her!  
  
"Sorry," Jacelyn replied quietly.  
  
"Don't do that again," Breeze warned, his teeth glinting in the sunlight as he spoke.  
  
"Yep," Jacelyn nodded, and then turned around to join her friends Oreo, Biscuit, Bandit and Janessa. Jacelyn sat next to Janessa and listened to Breeze.  
  
"All right, everyone, you-" Breeze began, but was interrupted.  
  
"No wonder you guys are called 'Outcasts" – no one likes you!!!" a light brown furred dog sneered. Behind him was a group of dogs. The group was known as the Psychic Mind. The Psychic Mind didn't consist of very nice dogs; most of them were bullies. The leader – the light brown furred dog – was called Tyrant. The members of the Psychic Mind were all strays, and no one knew how they got such terrible names. Many guessed that Tyrant would name them, some would name themselves – meaning give themselves a horrid name – and enter the group.  
  
"Well," Breeze puffed out his chest, "If that's the case, you're not much better either. You do recall that you ripped apart another dog, don't you?"  
  
"Don't act so proud, smarty," Tyrant spat. "I – my group – challenges you to a fight."  
  
~*~*~ 


	3. Fight?

[That Black Puppy]  
  
STORY IS WRITTEN IN BRITISH ENGLISH.  
  
Copyright Characters (in this story) That Are Mine   
  
Humans: Thomas, Benjamin  
  
Dogs/Wolves: Jacelyn, Dallas, Bandit, Janessa, Oreo, Biscuit, Breeze, Tyrant  
  
A/N: When I say "years/months" I mean HUMAN years. Just thought I'd clarify that.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Chapter Three  
  
~*~*~  
  
"No," Breeze said. "We will not fight."  
  
"Oh, really?" Tyrant growled.  
  
"Yes, we will not fight," Breeze said firmly. Breeze hated fights – he despised them, in fact. He only fought if he thought it was necessary, and in this circumstance, it obviously wasn't.  
  
"Well, I'll make you fight, dog," Tyrant threatened.  
  
"Okay…" Breeze said, unsure of what Tyrant would do next.  
  
Tyrant turned around a few times, then stopped, as he was face-to- face with Breeze. Breeze eyed him warily, and took a step back. Breeze allowed his teeth to show, hoping to warn off Tyrant, but that obviously didn't work. Tyrant suddenly snarled, ducked to the left, and headed for Jacelyn.  
  
  
  
Jacelyn was not aware of what was happening. She suddenly felt a huge blow on he shoulder, and next thing she knew, she was sprawled on the snow. Breeze had witnessed this, and was very, very angry. Jacelyn shook her head twice, and stood up. Tyrant circled Jacelyn a few times – he was obviously not done with Jacelyn, not yet, at least. Jacelyn snarled at Tyrant. She charged towards him, and suddenly ducked to the right, slashing Tyrant's right shoulder. Tyrant had not expected this. To be defeated by a female was an absolute shame, and he would make sure he took care of this one very well. He snarled in pain and anger at Jacelyn, and charged towards her. She stepped away, and he went charging toward the other dogs. They backed away, and he fell to the ground in a heap. Jacelyn playfully danced around him. When she turned her back, Tyrant was up in an instant and sprang towards her.  
  
Breeze lunged and caught Tyrant by the scruff of his neck. He wrestled him to the ground, and finally got him to surrender. Tyrant growled in anger and frustration – he hated being beaten. But he left quietly, as quietly as he had come.  
  
"Thanks," Jacelyn smiled at Breeze.  
  
"No problem. Are you okay?" Breeze asked with concern.  
  
"Yeah, just a little bruise; other than that, I'm fine," Jacelyn said cheerfully.  
  
"Very well, if you say so. However, I think you should take a rest. Come, I shall walk you home," Breeze said.  
  
"You don't need to…" Jacelyn hesitated.  
  
"It's okay. Bandit – be the leader while I'm gone. Find a new meeting spot; we will not be safe here for long, especially since Tyrant knows we meet here."  
  
"Okay," Bandit said as he made his way towards a clearing where he could easily be seen, and, hopefully, heard.  
  
  
  
"Well, see you," Breeze grinned as he left Jacelyn at her doorstep.  
  
"Thank you," Jacelyn said again.  
  
"That's okay, it was a pleasure helping you," Breeze said, and watched Jacelyn go in before he left.  
  
Jacelyn entered the house. Dallas was lying on the rug, as usual. He smiled when he saw her. He sensed something was wrong, but not sure what.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, just a little bruised," Jacelyn replied.  
  
"What happened?" Dallas asked, now sitting up.  
  
Jacelyn sighed, and then went on to explain everything that had happened. Dallas shook his head slowly. He had met Tyrant once – he was very strong, and it was a pity to see him use his strength in such a way. Dallas believed Tyrant could use his strength to pull sleds and such, but Tyrant didn't want to help humans, for some unknown reason.  
  
"Well then, I suppose you should rest," Dallas said.  
  
"Yeah," Jacelyn agreed as she settled down.  
  
~*~*~ 


	4. Threatening & Demanding

[That Black Puppy]  
  
STORY IS WRITTEN IN BRITISH ENGLISH.  
  
Copyright Characters (in this story) That Are Mine   
  
Humans: Thomas, Benjamin  
  
Dogs/Wolves: Jacelyn, Dallas, Bandit, Janessa, Oreo, Biscuit, Breeze, Tyrant  
  
A/N: When I say "years/months" I mean HUMAN years. Just thought I'd clarify that.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Chapter Four  
  
~*~*~  
  
The next day dawned bright and early. Jacelyn yawned and opened her eyes. She pricked her ears upon hearing the cabinet being opened, and food being poured into a bowl. It was most likely her bowl, or Dallas', she knew, for the humans had no pouring-into-bowls kind of food for themselves – they didn't eat cereal for breakfast, only toast and jam/butter. She rushed into the kitchen and skidded across the floor. Thomas, who was there, chuckled. Benjamin wasn't there, for some reason. Jacelyn believed he had gone to work, as that was usually the case. Jacelyn then ate her food in big gulps until it was all gone.  
  
By then, Thomas had left, but Dallas was still sleeping. She looked out of the window and suddenly felt a need to go outside. It wasn't the usual need – it didn't feel like it. This need felt different, as though she needed to be somewhere that instinct was pulling her right then.  
  
She went through the dog door and ran as fast as she could, not knowing where she was going – she was following only her instinct. She stopped running when she reached a broad alley. It was at the back of the butcher's store, and other stores, too. She sniffed around. Nothing. No one – at least, no one she could scent. She sighed and padded through the alley. So no one was in trouble; she didn't need to be here. So what? At least she could go play with her friends!  
  
All of a sudden, she heard a growl. It was followed by a whimper. She sniffed the air, and she could faintly smell a dog – a male dog. She sniffed again. Now she smelled both of the dogs – the growling one and the whimpering one. The whimpering one was a male too, she decided. Probably a pup. She ducked behind some boxes and hoped the Growling One would not find her.  
  
  
  
"Tell me where Dallas, that Siberian Husky, lives," the growling one demanded.  
  
"I- I- I don't know, sir," the whimpering one stuttered.  
  
"You don't know?" the Growling One asked slyly. The puppy nodded.  
  
"OR DO YOU NOT WANT TO SAY?" the Growling One snapped in the puppy's face. The puppy drew back in fear and tucked its tail between its legs. Perhaps he hoped that, in this stance, the Growling One would leave him be. Jacelyn wanted to jump out right then and there, but something held her back. Why would this stranger want to know where Dallas lived? And, how would he know for sure if the pup knew where Dallas lived? After all, Jacelyn had never seen such a pup ever!  
  
"I- I don't- I really- don't k-know," the puppy stammered.  
  
"TELL ME!" the Growling One snarled, and bit the puppy on its shoulder. The puppy yelped and cowered in front of the Growling One. Jacelyn could not take it any longer. She HAD to jump out and help the puppy. She would just jump out, grab the pup, and run.  
  
  
  
"I'm telling you, if you don't tell me…" the Growling One threatened. Jacelyn could see the puppy shiver. She decided it was now or never. She jumped out of her hiding place, streaked towards the puppy, grabbed it in her jaws, and took of immediately.  
  
"HEY!!!" the Growling One yelled angrily. "COME BACK WITH THE PUPPY!"  
  
Although Jacelyn dared not to look behind her, she somehow had a feeling that the Growling One was right behind her, giving chase…  
  
~*~*~ 


	5. The Chase

[That Black Puppy]  
  
STORY IS WRITTEN IN BRITISH ENGLISH.  
  
Copyright Characters (in this story) That Are Mine   
  
Humans: Thomas, Benjamin  
  
Dogs/Wolves: Jacelyn, Dallas, Bandit, Janessa, Oreo, Biscuit, Breeze, Tyrant, Jack  
  
A/N: When I say "years/months" I mean HUMAN years. Just thought I'd clarify that.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Chapter Five  
  
~*~*~  
  
Jacelyn ran on. And although she could feel the puppy's weight bearing down on her, she kept on running. She turned corner after corner, and finally stopped when she reached Bandit's house. She looked behind her to see if the Growling One was still tailing her. If he was, he definitely wasn't in sight. She then pawed on the door, and soon Bandit came out. He smiled cheerfully at her.  
  
"I'm sorry I came without notice," Jacelyn apologized.  
  
"Why are you apologizing?" Bandit asked curiously.  
  
"Okay, listen carefully. I don't have time right now to explain it again. This dog was sorta demanding from this puppy to tell him where Dallas lived, which is obviously with me. Can you hide him for a while? I can't travel too fast with this one here," Jacelyn explained in a hurry, obviously either choosing to ignore Bandit's question or just plain didn't hear him.  
  
"Sure, no prob.," Bandit grinned.  
  
"Thanks," Jacelyn gave him a quick smile, nudged the puppy, and left.  
  
  
  
The Growling One took in a huge gulp of air through his nose. He could smell Jacelyn's faint scent still hanging in the air. He padded slowly forward, and turned a corner. He got ready to pounce at sight on Jacelyn, but she wasn't here. His tail dropped in disappointment. He sniffed the air, this time taking in everything he could. However, he had hopelessly lost Jacelyn and had no hope – at all – of finding her. He would try another day – tomorrow, perhaps.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Jacelyn was running towards her house anxiously. She could see her house now – it "became" larger as she got nearer. Soon, she reached the dog door and zoomed through it. Upon entering, she collapsed on the floor in a heap. She was so, so soooo, tired. She looked around for Dallas, who was awake.  
  
"What made you so tired?" Dallas asked.  
  
"Well, if you must know – which you do – a dog is looking for you. He seemed pretty desperate, actually," Jacelyn said, pausing to take a breath. "He even threatened a puppy so that it would tell him where you were!"  
  
"Wait – what colour was the dog?" Dallas asked, a wave of terror spread across his face.  
  
"Ummm… I think he was brown and- he was a German Shepherd, or at least he looked like one."  
  
"Jack," Dallas whispered. "Jack is back."  
  
~*~*~ 


	6. Jack

[That Black Puppy]  
  
STORY IS WRITTEN IN BRITISH ENGLISH.  
  
Copyright Characters (in this story) That Are Mine   
  
Humans: Thomas, Benjamin  
  
Dogs/Wolves: Jacelyn, Dallas, Bandit, Janessa, Oreo, Biscuit, Breeze, Tyrant, Jack  
  
A/N: When I say "years/months" I mean HUMAN years. Just thought I'd clarify that.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Chapter Six  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Jack?" Jacelyn asked curiously.  
  
"Yes. He used to be a sled dog – like me – only he had a lower "rank" than I did. I led the sled team, much to his dismay. He had always wanted to lead, but never got the chance to, as my owners only wanted me to lead. Then one day, behind my – OUR - owners' backs, he maimed me and then dragged me over to a fallen tree. He pushed me roughly under there, to make it look as though the tree had fallen on me or something," Dallas sighed.  
  
"How could he do that?" Jacelyn exclaimed, jumping up.  
  
"Calm down, Jace. You don't know Jack – he is capable of just about everything…" Dallas stopped.  
  
"C'mon, Dallas, tell me more!" Jacelyn pleaded.  
  
"All right," Dallas said. "So, that day, my owners couldn't find me. But they still had to practice, so they zoomed off for a practice, with Jack in the lead."  
  
"Wait! Jack in the lead?" Jacelyn asked.  
  
"Yes. He was second-best next to me."  
  
"I thought you said he never got a chance to lead!"  
  
"I did? Oh, okay. Well, I meant that when I was there he never got a chance to lead. Now, please let me go on."  
  
"Okay," Jacelyn said, making up her mind to shut up.  
  
"Well, when they came back, I still wasn't there. They had expected me to be there. I was in pain, lying under that fallen tree, but what could I do? I only could make some barking noises and hope someone would find me. They found me the next morning. By then, I was hungry and rather cold. They argued with each other; one of them had wanted to find me the night before; the other said to wait till morning. And that was why they were arguing. The one who wanted to find me the night before knew that I was in bad shape and was blaming the other. I whimpered, and they both turned their attention toward me. They helped me out slowly, and brought me to the vet, who said I could not pull sleds anymore due to my injury… my lameness," Dallas explained.  
  
"You're not lame!" Jacelyn said.  
  
"No, I am, really. It only seems like I'm not 'cos it's gotten better… My previous owners didn't want to pay for my surgery – to HELP me – so they gave me away to Thomas and Benjamin."  
  
"They're evil," Jacelyn hissed.  
  
"No, Jace. They were nice people."  
  
"Fine, but why would Jack be looking for you, then? Isn't he leader of the team?" Jacelyn asked.  
  
"I honestly don't know. Perhaps he isn't. Perhaps he just wants to 'finish the job'." Dallas said.  
  
"Of killing you? Finish the job of killing you? What the-? If he did, why didn't he kill you the day he maimed you?" Jacelyn asked.  
  
"Shh… Let me think," Dallas hushed her. "I don't think this is possible, but my previous owners may still be talking about me."  
  
"And he is jealous, right?" Jacelyn asked.  
  
"Yes," Dallas nodded gravely.  
  
~*~*~ 


	7. Green Eyes, Cream Coat

[That Black Puppy]  
  
STORY IS WRITTEN IN BRITISH ENGLISH.  
  
Copyright Characters (in this story) That Are Mine   
  
Humans: Thomas, Benjamin  
  
Dogs/Wolves: Jacelyn, Dallas, Bandit, Janessa, Oreo, Biscuit, Breeze, Tyrant, Jack  
  
A/N: When I say "years/months" I mean HUMAN years. Just thought I'd clarify that.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
~*~*~  
  
Jacelyn ran to Bandit's house, not stopping once for fear of being found by Jack, the Growling One. She wouldn't be outside, but was rather worried for the puppy. She arrived at Bandit's doorstep in a matter of minutes. She pawed at his door, and a pair of green eyes stared straight back at her. Those green eyes were not Bandit's – he had blue eyes. She stepped back and the fur rose on her back. The dog with green eyes then pushed open the flap and allowed her in. Jacelyn cautiously entered.  
  
"Hello," the dog said, his silkily smooth voice soothing her.  
  
"Um, hey," Jacelyn replied, looking around for Bandit.  
  
"You must be Jacelyn," the dog said, eyeing her. He then tossed his head and turned away.  
  
"Yes, I am. And who are you?" Jacelyn called to his back.  
  
"Bane," came the reply. She then noticed that his back and tail held many scars. She would question Bandit about this dog. But then she asked Bane, "Who are you?"  
  
"If you couldn't tell, I was unfortunate enough to have Bandit as a brother," Bane snapped.  
  
"Don't use that tone with me," Jacelyn growled.  
  
"Who do you think you are to tell me how to talk to you?" Bane turned around and stared at her with his piercing green eyes. Jacelyn stared right into his eyes. No one had ever stared straight back at Bane – especially not right into his eyes! He broke the stare, and turned around. Jacelyn grinned to herself, and pounced, playfully tackling him. He snarled, but she held him to the ground. He stopped snarling after a while and playfully bit her. She grinned, and just then, Bandit came in.  
  
  
  
"Eww, gross, geez! You two please don't do that here!" Bandit turned around as soon as he entered.  
  
Jacelyn playfully bounced up and licked Bandit on the cheek. He smiled.  
  
"You know we weren't doing anything. And besides, you never mentioned to Janessa, Oreo, Biscuit and I that you had a brother," Jacelyn said.  
  
"You guys didn't have to know," Bandit replied.  
  
"Anyhow, I came here to see the puppy," Jacelyn said.  
  
"Oh, I returned him to his parents," Bandit said.  
  
"Really?" Jacelyn asked.  
  
"Yup," Bandit replied.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Logan and Gwinnnett."  
  
Jacelyn shuddered. They, although were now older, were still fierce. (Read "Bandit's Past" – Logan and Gwinnnett star in that story!) She turned to say, "Bye" to Bane before she left, but he was gone. She shrugged and then turned to Bandit, "Well, thanks. And see ya. Help me say 'Bye' to Bane."  
  
"Okay," Bandit nodded.  
  
~*~*~ 


	8. One Eventful Night

[That Black Puppy]  
  
STORY IS WRITTEN IN BRITISH ENGLISH.  
  
Copyright Characters (in this story) That Are Mine   
  
Humans: Thomas, Benjamin  
  
Dogs/Wolves: Jacelyn, Dallas, Bandit, Janessa, Oreo, Biscuit, Breeze, Tyrant, Jack  
  
A/N: When I say "years/months" I mean HUMAN years. Just thought I'd clarify that.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
~*~*~  
  
The stars twinkled in the sky. Jacelyn sighed, and laid her head down on her paws. She was out in the front porch, and it was a calm and cool night. Dallas was inside, too, and was sleeping. She got up and turned to go inside, when suddenly she heard a growl. She spun around, fur rising on her back, "Who's there?"  
  
"Logan," came the reply.  
  
"And Gwinnnett, too," came another reply.  
  
"Yes?" Jacelyn said warily as the two stepped out from the bushes.  
  
"Well, we'd like to thank you for rescuing our pup," Logan said.  
  
"No problem! Jack deserved it, anyhow," Jacelyn smiled.  
  
"Jack?" Gwinnnett's face hardened, and her mouth turned down in the corners to a growl.  
  
"Yeah… Jack…" Jacelyn's voice trailed off, sensing Gwinnnett's anger rise.  
  
"That idiot," Logan snarled.  
  
"Um, pardon me asking, but do you two know Jack?" Jacelyn asked meekly, for fear of getting torn to shreds if she angered these two.  
  
"Know him? He LIVES with us! Of course we know that show-off!" Logan said, a growl rising in his throat.  
  
"Yeah, he thinks he's so great… There are many more better sled dog leaders than he; our owners just can't be bothered to find one," Gwinnnett said glumly.  
  
"Dallas was far better than Jack is – or ever will be!" Logan said, nodding.  
  
"Yes," Gwinnnett agreed.  
  
"But- but- but aren't you the leaders?" Jacelyn asked.  
  
"A sled team can only have one leader. Even if it were one of us… It wouldn't work out. For one thing, we both don't like to lead. We don't like to follow directions, so if the musher tells us to go left, we'd probably go right. We need someone to lead us, in short," Gwinnnett smiled at Jacelyn.  
  
"Oh," came Jacelyn's reply, "I'm sorry, but I have to go. Thomas – my owner – is coming back."  
  
"Yes, yes. Okay. Well, thanks again. We'll make sure Jack gets what he deserves…" Logan finished, and the two dogs left.  
  
  
  
Thomas came up the front steps, walking right past Jacelyn. He laughed to himself as he tried to open the door. Of course, it would not open as it was locked. He cursed to himself, when he spotted the dog door. He clumsily squatted down, opened it, and fitted his head through. He tried crawling through, but obviously to no avail. He pulled his head out, cursed aloud, and kicked the door, yelling, "LEMME IN!!!"  
  
Jacelyn whimpered softly and hurried through the dog door. She got through unharmed, and she saw Benjamin walking towards the door, taking his time. He muttered something about Thomas being drunk. Jacelyn didn't understand it, but she knew something was wrong. She never liked Thomas much, and was now fearful of him. She had smelled some kind of reeking odour when she went near him.  
  
Just then, Benjamin opened the door. Thomas collapsed into his arms, and Benjamin shut the door before helping Thomas into the antique armchair by the fireside. Dallas was sitting in front of the fire and was now watching Thomas curiously. He smelled the same odour that Jacelyn smelled, and backed away slowly. Thomas didn't seem to want to sit once he gained consciousness, and he walked around the house, flinging a bag he'd found on the table around in the air. He walked right up to Dallas and raised his hand. Dallas backed away and growled. Benjamin rushed over, trying to stop Thomas, but he was too late… Or so it seemed.  
  
Jacelyn growled as she jumped on Thomas' back, nipping him sharply on the shoulder. Thomas cried out in pain, and his hand came down on Dallas. Dallas yelped, and then snarled angrily at Thomas. He made no attempt to attack, but the fur bristled on his spine. Jacelyn tugged at Thomas' jacket, and tore it by accident. Thomas started yelling angrily at Jacelyn and chased after her. Jacelyn bit him hard on the shins and he hit her twice, with Benjamin protesting angrily behind. He punched Benjamin in the eye, and Benjamin fell to the ground with a loud thud. Jacelyn shuddered as the fur rose on her spine. She hid behind a couch where Thomas couldn't find her.  
  
Thomas got frustrated, and then looked for Dallas. He found him and started hitting him. Dallas yelped and bit Thomas in the hand. Blood poured out at once, splattering onto the ground. Thomas glared at Dallas in mad fury and grabbed the nearest vase, bringing it down onto Dallas' head immediately. There was one last yelp, and all was silent. Thomas could be heard swearing, but there was no sound from either Benjamin or Dallas.  
  
~*~*~ 


	9. With the Police

[That Black Puppy]  
  
STORY IS WRITTEN IN BRITISH ENGLISH.  
  
Copyright Characters (in this story) That Are Mine   
  
Humans: Thomas, Benjamin  
  
Dogs/Wolves: Jacelyn, Dallas, Bandit, Janessa, Oreo, Biscuit, Breeze, Tyrant, Jack  
  
A/N: When I say "years/months" I mean HUMAN years. Just thought I'd clarify that.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
~*~*~  
  
Jacelyn paced around in her cage. The police had arrived, as next- door neighbours had heard the racket and called the police. The police locked her in a cage, fearing she was wild, but the next-door neighbours and Benjamin (who had just been rushed to the hospital) convinced him that she was fine. Still, he insisted on keeping her confined in a tiny cage.  
  
The snow was now falling at a faster rate than it had been. It was snowing for the past hour that Jacelyn had been outside. Thomas had been arrested; Benjamin taken to the hospital; Dallas… well, Jacelyn wasn't exactly sure where, but she could almost be certain he was being taken to the undertaker or someone like that. All she knew was that he was probably… dead.  
  
Jacelyn was jolted back to reality when someone – most likely a policeman – roughly lifted her cage up, swinging it into the backseat of his car. The cage landed roughly, and Jacelyn disliked this man instantly. She breathed in his scent, and made a "note" to remember and dislike him. She, however, made no signs of protest and laid her head down on her forepaws. The car was revved up, and soon, they were zooming across town.  
  
They were taking Jacelyn to the police station.  
  
  
  
Jacelyn woke up, and jumped up immediately. This was not her house. Then it all came back to her – the eventful night… How Thomas had abused Dallas and everyone in the house… She blinked, adjusting to the bright lights in the building. Then she realized she was no longer in that horrid cage, and barked gleefully. However, she technically still was in a cage – she was in a kennel. This did not dampen her spirits, for she was glad she could run around in it.  
  
Soon, in a matter of minutes, she got bored and laid down. A man came by and she growled at him upon breathing in his scent. It was that man who'd flung her in the cage. He backed away, then said, "Easy girl, easy!"  
  
Jacelyn still growled at him, and he went away – for what, Jacelyn had no idea, but she was glad he'd gone. He was back soon, though, and this time she launched herself at him, only to be held back by the cage door, which made a rattling sound. The man was accompanied by another policeman this time, who said, "Don't show them – her – your fear."  
  
The man nodded, thanked the other man, and decided not to show Jacelyn his fear. He unlatched the kennel door, and carefully squeezed inside. Jacelyn growled, circling the man. He reached his hand out to let her sniff, and Jacelyn sniffed it cautiously before snapping at it. She didn't bite, the man noted, and bravely took one step forward. Jacelyn snarled. He stopped. He smiled, left the kennel, and latched the door.  
  
Jacelyn wondered where he was going, and settled down to rest. Taking care of that guy was easy… But she'd need some rest. She could feel that the man would come back to try "taming" her again, but she wouldn't allow herself to be tamed, not by him, at least. She closed her eyes, but sleep didn't come to claim her. It was too noisy, as dogs everywhere around the room were barking. She frowned, a growl rising deep in her throat. She did not like this place, and hoped to get out soon enough.  
  
  
  
The kennel door was being unlatched. Jacelyn opened one eye. She wasn't sleeping, just lying down with her eyes closed, staying awake for one hour. She expected someone to step in, but no one did. The place was surprisingly quiet. She stood up, shook her head, and cautiously sniffed around before coming out of the kennel. The dogs were all gone. Where were they? Jacelyn sniffed around, and caught scent of the dog next door to her kennel and followed its smell. Her nose led her to an open pasture where dogs were running about. Some were playing happily; some were dozing in the sun, while others… They were racing. She stepped outside, and the warm sunshine greeted her. She barked, and ran into the pasture, letting the fresh air cleanse her of her worries.  
  
~*~*~  
  
A/N: Watch for next chapter!!! 


	10. Benjamin

[That Black Puppy]  
  
STORY IS WRITTEN IN BRITISH ENGLISH.  
  
Copyright Characters (in this story) That Are Mine   
  
Humans: Thomas, Benjamin, Joe  
  
Dogs/Wolves: Jacelyn, Dallas, Bandit, Janessa, Oreo, Biscuit, Breeze, Tyrant, Jack  
  
A/N: When I say "years/months" I mean HUMAN years. Just thought I'd clarify that.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
~*~*~  
  
Jacelyn sat down in front of the kennel door and cocked her head from side to side, listening intently to what the men were saying. She could make out a few words, like "running", "wild", and "coffee". She couldn't hear the full sentence, so she sighed and lay down.  
  
A man soon came to her. It was that man, Joe, who had flung her cage into the backseat that eventful night two weeks ago. She still didn't like him, but allowed him to give her food and water and things like that. She wouldn't allow him to stroke her or lay a finger on her, though, and kept her distance for most of the time. Joe this time held a leash, and upon opening the door, he caught and leashed her. She struggled against him, but he had gotten the leash on her and was pulling back – hard. She growled and tried to bite him, and managed to do so. He cursed and yelled for help.  
  
Help came soon enough, and another policeman took over. Joe was brought to the clinic to nurse his wounds. The other policeman gruffly jerked Jacelyn to one side and slapped her. Her cheek stung, and Jacelyn felt hot tears rising. It hurt. The man slammed open the cage door and pulled her out roughly. She whimpered and sadly went along. He brought her to another room, where he muzzled her, and changed her collar to a choke chain. He clipped the leash on and brought her out.  
  
  
  
"Jacelyn!" Benjamin said. Jacelyn struggled against the man who held her, trying to get to Benjamin. The man didn't move a muscle, and said sternly, "Bit a policeman. He's in the clinic. Muzzled for others' safety."  
  
"Well, I'm here now, so let her go," Benjamin protested.  
  
"Sorry," the man answered.  
  
"Fine, then," Benjamin sighed. He walked towards Jacelyn and stroked her coat. It was smooth and silky, and he wondered what the police had done to her – he had bathed her, but never managed to get her coat to be this silky! Benjamin then looked sadly at Jacelyn.  
  
"Jace, you probably can't understand me, but Dallas is dead, according to the veterinarian. I am moving to Australia. You will be… I'll be bringing you to the pound, and I hope you find a good owner," Benjamin said slowly. Jacelyn whimpered and struggled closer. Benjamin hugged Jacelyn, kissed her on the ruff of her neck, and stood up. Unknown to him, Jacelyn did understand. She understood every single word he said. She tried to lick him, to say a last goodbye, but the man roughly jerked her in. She whimpered, crying out to Benjamin, but he didn't come. He sadly shook his head as he turned around, and walked out. He was never seen in Nome again.  
  
  
  
Jacelyn found herself sobbing in the kennel, not that others noticed it. She missed Dallas and Benjamin badly. She wanted Benjamin to take her home, where she could feel the comforting heat of the fire, but no, he was gone. And she hadn't even been able to give him a last goodbye lick! And for Dallas, she mourned. He was one of her best friends, despite the age difference. He taught her everything – or everything he had learnt, at least. Not once did Thomas ever cross Jacelyn's mind. She disliked him from the moment she turned one and got to know him better.  
  
Thomas was like a little child, wanting Jacelyn to like him best, which she obviously did not. He also thought that Jacelyn was a toy which didn't run out of energy, so he would get her to fetch countless times. She, of course, would only fetch once or twice, but never more than that. She would not listen to Thomas, and did so only rarely.  
  
  
  
The next day, she was put into a van, which drove her off to… somewhere, she didn't know where. She was then brought into a building, and instantly she knew where she was. Dogs were barking everywhere, and cats could be heard mewing. Her eyes were wide with terror; despite knowing this would happen to her. She was in the pound.  
  
~*~*~ 


	11. Escape

[That Black Puppy]  
  
STORY IS WRITTEN IN BRITISH ENGLISH.  
  
Copyright Characters (in this story) That Are Mine   
  
Humans: Thomas, Benjamin, Joe  
  
Dogs/Wolves: Jacelyn, Dallas, Bandit, Janessa, Oreo, Biscuit, Breeze, Tyrant, Jack, Lydia  
  
A/N: When I say "years/months" I mean HUMAN years. Just thought I'd clarify that.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
~*~*~  
  
Jacelyn slept in the corner of the kennel, exhausted by the day's events. She stared out of the kennel, into the trees beyond her kennel gate. She heard the soothing snores of her kennelmate Lydia, a Great Dane/Husky/Collie mix, and got up, stretching. She brought her cold nose down to Lydia's face, and awoke the sleeping dog. Lydia blinked, her brown eyes curiously staring at Jacelyn, asking, "What's the matter?" Her long, whip-like tail was white, speckled with black. Her solid white, furry body shivered a little in the cold of the kennel and surrounding area.  
  
Jacelyn shrugged, "We should escape."  
  
"Sure," came Lydia's uncaring reply. She certainly didn't see why they needed to escape – after all, they had food and water at the pound! And what good would the outside world do for them?  
  
Jacelyn kept quiet, stunned that Lydia had agreed. She of course didn't know Lydia was rather unsure about escaping. Jacelyn said nothing more, but howled once. She was calling Bandit and the gang – she was calling the Outcasts.  
  
  
  
Breeze pricked his ears at the mere sound of Jacelyn's howl. She was alive! He and the gang had been trying to locate her, but to no avail. He howled in reply, telling her to howl back occasionally. A few minutes later, he heard Jacelyn howling again. He turned a corner, and saw where the howl was coming from. The pound. He growled. It would be hard to rescue a friend from the pound, but he would try.  
  
That night, he gathered the gang and together, they sniffed at every corner of the pound, trying to get in. They could all smell the scent of smelly dogs, and scrunched up their noses at the smell. They could see the kennels in the distance, too – the kennel had no walls protecting it, except for the main building where records of the dogs were kept.  
  
"Breeze! Janessa! Over here!" came a harsh whisper.  
  
"Jace?" Janessa questioned, pushing her face to the fence. Jacelyn barked softly, instructing her friend, "The fence that you're at now, go under it – there should be a hole there!"  
  
"Okay…" Janessa replied uncertainly, gesturing for Breeze to follow her. They both found the hole, and squeezed under it. They reached Jacelyn soon, and Breeze undid the screws of the door (like how Balto did it for Jenna, you know?). Jacelyn rushed out, enjoying the coolness of the air around her, and enjoying her freedom once again. She woke Lydia up, and urged her to follow her.  
  
They escaped through the hole that Breeze & Janessa had come, and covered it up again. The Outcasts barked softly in glee, and returned to their resting place to sleep, along with one new member – Lydia.  
  
~*~*~ 


End file.
